Albert Backert - The Steffens/Stiffens family in and after 1901

[Gary Barnett]

Superb research, Debs.

Quite stunning! How does she do it? (I suspect it may involve midnight visits to the crossroads.)

[Robert Linford]

Superb research, Debs.

[Debra Arif]

On a side note....of all the individuals we encounter in our studies, Bachert has more different spellings of his surname than anyone.
Here, you've found that from the very beginning, his given name has been contentious !!!

The family seem to have been a law to themselves when it came to birth registration, age and spelling or using different names, How.

In 1924, Robert Steffens, son of Flora and Robert Steffens had to try means to prove his age other than a birth certificate when he applied to join the civil service. A search at Somerset house for a birth registration using the birth date he was given in a letter by his mother, Flora, of 25th November 1896 at an address off Russel Square WC had turned up nothing and was noted that a full search from 1896 to 1900 in the birth registers had been done.
A letter from a school Robert attended supplied his date of birth as 24th November 1894, two years earlier than his mother had said and also added the details that he had been made a ward of the Guardians in 1901 [after the census]
A search from 1894 also didn't turn up a Birth registration and the conclusion was that his birth was never registered.

Robert also mentioned that he wanted to be known b the surname Staffens in all offiicial documents from 1924 onwards and said that he'd enlisted in the army under the surname Brown.

Robert and his brother George appear in school records in the Rutland Street School Admission and Discharge Register for Infants
Admitted 21 Jan 1901, Robert Steffen, address 42 Sidney Street, birth 25 Nov 1894 Removed to E Ha??
Admitted May 1901 George Steffan, 42 Sidney St, father Robert, birth 28 Oct 96 Removed to W E Hal?

This must have been when the children were made wards of the guardians. although I can't make out where they were removed to.
Robert was apprenticed to a dentist in Wales by 1911 and was living at an address in Swansea in 1924 and was a postman, he died in Swansea in 1970.

In the file is a letter Flora signed as Flora Dupprey or Duffrey and said Robert was a child of her first marriage.

[Debra Arif]

Louisa

Louisa Bachert
1 GRO Birth registration
BACHERT, LOUISA FISCHER
GRO Reference: 1867 S Quarter in WHITECHAPEL Volume 01C Page 379

2 GRO Death registration
BACHERT, LOUISA 6
GRO Reference: 1867 D Quarter in WHITECHAPEL Volume 01C Page 291

3 Burial
Louisa Bacher, 2 Haydon Square, Whitechapel, 23rd Nov 1867, 6mos., 6567, 3239
Piece 47-1: Hackney, Victoria Park Cemetery: Burials. Vol 6


#

Louisa was buried in the same non-conformist burial ground as Wilhelm Albert.

[Pat Marshall]

Out of interest did you ever find school records for him?
I cant find anything at all under that name or similar....

Pat....

[Debra Arif]

How confusing Debra, Sorry I didn't realise you had all the certs....They dont make it easy for genealogists do they...

Pat.....

While the new GRO index has been a godsend in giving maiden names in the birth index -one quibble I do have is that no distinction is made between years and months of age at death. The same happens if you look at Louisa Bachert's birth and death. She died and was burried aged 6 months but the GRO index says her age at death was '6'

I suspect transcribers were just given space to key in numbers.

[Pat Marshall]

How confusing Debra, Sorry I didn't realise you had all the certs....They dont make it easy for genealogists do they...

Pat.....

[Debra Arif]

Wilhelm Albert Bachert,
Baptism in the non conformist Lutheran Church Whtechapel to John and Georgine Bachert
Death in 1861 as Wilhelm Albert Bockert
Burial in non conformist burial ground as William Albert Bockert aged 11 mos. The GRO index makes no distinction between years of age and months of age.

[Debra Arif]

Wilhelm Albert Bockert

It says he died in September Qtr 1861 01C/283 St George in the East
but he was 11 years old. Could this be the one that was found ?

Pat......

He was 11 months, Pat. It's in the summary I did.
post 118. I posted his burial details too.

http://www.jtrforums.com/showpost.php?p=314801&postcount=118

[Pat Marshall]

Death of a Wlhelm Albert Bockert

Wilhelm Albert Bockert

It says he died in September Qtr 1861 01C/283 St George in the East
but he was 11 years old. Could this be the one that was found ?

Pat......

[Pat Marshall]

Has this chap been seen?

Bachert William Albert 1860 Dec Qtr at Whitechapel

Vol 01C page 393

Mothers name Fisher There is also a Charles Frederick Bachert same mum born S qtr 1862.

Pat.......

[Howard Brown]

Rick:

From what Debs has shown, he was born Charles Frederick and baptized Albert ( Post 118 )
Better to let Deb's post do the talking.

I suggested that this GRO birth registration for Charles Frederick Bachert may be the birth registration for the child later baptised as Albert William Bachert. The mother's maiden name on the GRO ref for Charles's birth is Fisher, as was Georgine Bachert's maiden name. The other children in the family were all baptised within a couple of months of their births so that would suggest that either Albert baptised Sept 1862 and Charles b Jul/Aug or Sept 1862 were twins or the same child? The lack of a GRO birth entry for Albert William or a baptism for Charles goes against them being twins.

[Rick Cobb]

So is it Albert or not ?

Sorry if i missed something

[Howard Brown]

Charles Frederick Bachert
1 GRO Birth Registration
BACHERT, CHARLES FREDERICK FISHER
GRO Reference: 1862 S Quarter in SAINT GEORGE IN THE EAST Volume 01C Page 379

No Baptism for this child
No GRO Death Registration for this child

I suggested that this GRO birth registration for Charles Frederick Bachert may be the birth registration for the child later baptised as Albert William Bachert. The mother's maiden name on the GRO ref for Charles's birth is Fisher, as was Georgine Bachert's maiden name. The other children in the family were all baptised within a couple of months of their births so that would suggest that either Albert baptised Sept 1862 and Charles b Jul/Aug or Sept 1862 were twins or the same child? The lack of a GRO birth entry for Albert William or a baptism for Charles goes against them being twins.





I suspected Albert Bachert may have been born Charles Frederick Bachert but baptised Albert William back in 2012 but looking at it there seems to be no other explanation.
-Debra Arif-
**********************************************
Debs:
More great work, lady !!!

On a side note....of all the individuals we encounter in our studies, Bachert has more different spellings of his surname than anyone.
Here, you've found that from the very beginning, his given name has been contentious !!!
Way to go, Debs !

As Debs already said, you made a good point, Bob C. Linford !

[Debra Arif]

Steffens /Bachert marriage summary

This is for Mick Priestly as he asked me for the details:

Chris Scott found that Bachert's sister Flora had married a man named Steffen/Stiffen in 1894 and that Flora appeared on the 1901 census with her children (no hiusband) and her brother Albert Becker, which has to be Albert Bachert despite the age difference.

Here is the marriage in the marriage :
First name(s) ROBERT CHARLES G
Last name STEFFEN
Marriage quarter 2
Marriage year 1894
Registration month -
MarriageFinder™ ROBERT CHARLES G STEFFEN married one of these people
Margaret Landrigan, Flora Bachert


Here is the 1901 census summary found by Chris:
Flora Stiffens 31 head
Robert Stiffens 6
George Stiffens 4
Rosa Stiffens 2
Annie M Stiffens 1/12 Birth Place: Mile End, London, England
Albert Becker 26 brother

Here are the birth index and one baptism record that definitely show Chris was correct and Flora Bachert married Robert Stiffen:

Church Baptism Annie Maud Steffen
13 Mar 1901 Stepney St Philip Tower Hamlets father Robert Steffen,
mother Florence Steffen.

GRO birth index showing maiden name of mother, Annie Maud b 1901 from the baptism and 1901 census appears in this index as do other children:

Name: Mother's Maiden Surname:
STEFFEN, ANNIE MAUD BACKERT
GRO Reference: 1901 J Quarter in MILE END OLD TOWN Volume 01C Page 436

Name: Mother's Maiden Surname:
STEFFEN, JOHN BACKERT
GRO Reference: 1903 S Quarter in WEST HAM Volume 04A Page 123

STEFFEN, FREDERICK BACHERT
GRO Reference: 1898 J Quarter in PANCRAS Volume 01B Page 43
STEFFEN, GEORGE BACHERT
GRO Reference: 1896 D Quarter in ST GILES Volume 01B Page 630